#3 Run Your Own Race

Recently, I had the opportunity to run the 2024 Chicago Marathon which was my 5th marathon. With near ideal weather conditions & lots of friend's support along the route I cruised the course trying to take in the scenes while maintaining my focus on the road. After a fair amount of struggle, I completed the 26.2 miles in 3:02:42 roughly 3 minutes slower than my 4th marathon 2 years prior. However slower, I learned a number of things before, during, & after the race that I'd like to share.

1. Comparison truly is the thief of joy.

   I don't love starting my blog with a stereotypical phrase but it's so true. Consciously or subconsciously, we constantly compare ourselves to one another. It's a natural human tendency yet it's important minimize this habit as it will take away from appreciating personal growth. It can be difficult to scroll Instagram or TikTok & see "influencers" of all kinds whom look "successful" (at least from the outside) in society's terms with lots of followers, fantastic race times, or sponsorships with brands. At the race itself, it was easy to look around with all the extremely talented individuals that I was surrounded by at the starting line & think "I'm not good enough". If we decide to live in constant comparison, it will only lead to a belief that we're not good enough. I hate to break it to you but there will always be someone with more money, more fit, more attractive. The sooner you accept that, the better. I understand it's very difficult to not compare & I will be the first to highlight I am not great at it. Therefore, try your best to focus on yourself & your own progression within whatever you do.

2. Define what success means to you. Run your own pace.

   In order to evaluate your own performance, it's important to understand what your criteria is. Defining one's own definition of success is an important part of life because it gives a North Star to work towards. In this step, it's important to be realistic because with too lofty of goals might lead to frustration or burnout. With too easy of goals, there might be be no motivation as they're achievable with little effort.

   In a race, despite all going for the same goal, people will get there at different times. What works for someone else might not work for you. Some people will sprint through their goals (i.e. pro runners at a marathon), while others take a steady pace (i.e. first time marathoners), and both are valid strategies for getting to the same point. You don’t need to rush just because someone else is "ahead" of you. Similarly, just because others may be taking a slower pace doesn’t mean you should hold back if you’re ready to push forward. Stay focused on your own strategy and stick to what success means for you.

3. Don't quit. Move forward.

   During the race, there was a point at mile 21 when I began to start feeling pretty rough. My feet, legs, & stomach were all killing me. My heart rate had been at my threshold for quite some time. I stopped to stretch my legs as I needed a quick breather before finishing the race. My body was telling me to quit. It had had enough. But in my mind, I kept telling myself over & over again "Pain is temporary." Which is true in life. When faced with obstacles, the pain that you experience is always temporary. It might be temporary for a minute, a week, a month, a year but it's always temporary. Once you understand that, I believe you can begin to build resilience. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. At this moment in the race, I began to run again. It didn't have to be perfect, it just needed to be progress. In life, when faced with obstacles do your best to push forward. One exercise I use daily is "What is one step I can take to make progress to make the current situation better?" When you ask this question, it allows short term tangible actions to formulate so you can execute & work toward the bigger picture.

4. Love Yourself - despite the result.

   Loving yourself can often be one of the most difficult things to do in life. I believe it's difficult for myself personally because I can be very judgmental of myself when we see others around me with attributes I want. As mentioned earlier, comparison detracts from love. In order to love, you need to accept. Building self-love is a journey, and like any relationship, it takes time. A strategy I like to use for giving myself self love is "What would you say to a good friend in your situation?" because I doubt it would be rude & cold rather supportive & loving. The key is to approach self love with patience and kindness, understanding that loving yourself is a gradual process of learning, unlearning, and growing. I have to love myself throughout my experiences with racing. If I think back on my progression & what I've learned, I am happy to see how far I've come & look forward to what I still have left to go.

Overall, I think I enjoy running races because they're a great metaphor for life. It's a challenge that requires discipline & practice where the progression throughout training will not be linear. Everyone goes at different paces based on what feels right for them. It's an opportunity to face an obstacle that will require resiliency to complete. And at the end of the day - despite the outcome - you have to be proud you at least tried.